Projectile Spall Generating Armor Plate

ABSTRACT

A projectile spall generating armor plate incorporating a rigid plate having a first strike face; a matrix of closed loop bullet cleaving edges, each edge among the matrix of closed loop bullet cleaving edges being fixedly attached to or formed wholly with the first strike face; a matrix of second strike faces, each strike face among the matrix of second strike faces being substantially square and being bounded by one of the closed loop bullet cleaving edges; and a matrix of bullet cleaving points or pyramid apexes, each such point or apex being fixedly attached to or formed wholly with one of the second strike faces; the plate further incorporating a matrix of pedestals having a strike face ends, wherein each strike face among the matrix of second strike faces coincides with one of the pedestals&#39; strike face ends.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to armor plates utilized as personal protective body armor or for protecting boats, vehicles, and building structures from ballistic projectile attacks. More particularly, this invention relates to such armor plates which specially adapt their strike face surfaces for breaking impinging bullet projectiles into projectile spall or fragments.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Armor plate strike faces are known to be configured to present protrusions or protuberances which are intended to work upon an impinging bullet as it strikes the strike face, altering the nose or point of the bullet immediately prior to the bullet's potentially piercing travel through the armor plate. Such protrusion or protuberance modified strike faces often perform ineffectively where the trajectory of a projectile directs its leading end toward an initial impingement which is displaced from any one of the protrusions' apexes or points.

The instant inventive projectile spall generating armor plate solves or ameliorates problems and deficiencies of armoring plates described above by specially configuring protrusions or protuberances to include multiple and specially functioning tiers.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A first structural component of the instant inventive projectile spall generating armor plate comprises a rigid plate having a first or outer strike face. In a preferred embodiment, the rigid plate is composed of high carbon steel. Suitably, the rigid plate may comprise rolled homogenous steel plate having a heat tempered and hardened strike face side.

A further structural component of the instant inventive armor plate comprises a matrix or grid array of closed loop bullet cleaving edges. In a preferred embodiment, each edge among such matrix of edges is fixedly attached to or formed wholly with the strike face side of the rigid plate, such edges necessarily being raised slightly above the strike face. In the preferred embodiment, such bullet cleaving edges form approximate 90° knife blade or chisel blade edges or wedges which are capable of cleaving relatively soft bullet metal. Also in the preferred embodiment, the closed loops which are formed by the bullet cleaving edges are substantially square.

Further structural components of the instant inventive armor plate comprise a matrix of second strike faces, each second strike face preferably being bounded and peripherally defined by one of the closed loop bullet cleaving edges. Where the closed loop bullet cleaving edges are, as is preferred, square, the second strike faces are correspondingly configured as square strike face surfaces.

Further structural components of the instant inventive armor plate comprise a matrix of bullet cleaving points, each such point being fixedly attached to or formed wholly with one of the second strike faces. In a preferred embodiment, the bullet cleaving points comprise apexes of pyramidal structures whose bases are fixedly attached to or formed wholly with the second strike faces.

In operation of the instant inventive projectile spall generating armor plate, and assuming the provision of preferred structures as described above, the strike face of the inventive armor plate may be placed in the path of a rifle fired bullet traveling at high velocity. Such plate placement may serve as personal body armor or may be in protection of the interior spaces of a vehicle or building structure. In the event that the nose such rifle fired bullet directly impinges against one of the bullet cleaving points or apexes, bullet spall generation immediately commences upon cleaving contact with such apex. A slightly different trajectory of such bullet may alternatively cause the bullet's nose to initially impinge against one of the angled side walls of one of the pyramidal structures. Such contact causes the typically triangular face of the pyramid to laterally trip or deflect the nose of the bullet toward an adjacent closed loop bullet cleaving edge structure. Such redirected or deflected impingement of the nose of the bullet an adjacent bullet cleaving edge similarly induces spall fragment generating cleaving of the nose of the bullet.

Further alternatively, the trajectory of the bullet may cause the nose of the bullet to initially impinge against one of the closed loop bullet cleaving edge, such impingement similarly resulting in bullet nose cleavage. In a preferred embodiment, channels formed between adjacent rows of the closed loop edges are narrow enough to prevent initial channel floor impingements which are not preceded by a cleaving edge impingement.

The instant invention's provision of tiered bullet nose cleaving structures as described above provides assurance that spall fragment generation will occur at the instant of impingement of the nose of a bullet against the armor plate regardless of the particular strike point. Such initial bullet nose spall fragmentation advantageously reduces the capacity and ability of the projectile to pierce the armor plate.

Accordingly, objects of the instant invention include the provision of a projectile spall generating armor plate which incorporates structures, as described above, and which arranges those structures in relation to each other in manners described above, for the performance of beneficial functions, as described above.

Other and further objects, benefits, and advantages of the instant invention will become known to those skilled in the art upon review of the Detailed Description which follows, and upon review of the appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the instant inventive projectile spall generating armor plate.

FIG. 2 presents a partial sectional view of the FIG. 1 plate as indicated in FIG. 1, the view of FIG. 2 showing a rifle fired bullet following a trajectory toward the armor plate.

FIG. 3 re-depicts the structure of FIG. 2, the view of FIG. 3 showing an initial impinging contact of the nose of the bullet with the armoring plate.

FIG. 4 re-depicts the structure of FIG. 2, the view of FIG. 4 showing a bullet traveling along an alternative trajectory.

FIG. 5 re-depicts the structure of FIG. 4, the view of FIG. 5 showing the alternative trajectory bullet in an alternative impingement against the armoring armor plate.

FIG. 6 is a magnified view of a portion of the structure of FIG. 1, as indicated in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings and in particular to Drawing FIGS. 1 and 2, a preferred embodiment of the instant inventive projectile spall generating armor plate is referred to generally by Reference Arrow 1. The plate 1 comprises a rigid plate section 2 which has a forward strike face surface or end 4. In FIG. 2, the strike face 4 of the rigid plate 2 is represented by a dashed line.

Further structural components of the instant inventive armor plate 1 comprise a matrix or grid pattern of closed loop bullet cleaving edges 6. Each of the closed loop sets of edges 6 suitably includes four edges or corners as depicted in FIG. 1, the square grid pattern of FIG. 1 being exemplary of variously configured matrices or patterns of closed loop bullet cleaving edges. The square or quadrilaterally configured closed loop bullet cleaving edges 6 depicted in FIG. 1 are intended as being representative of other closed loop shapes or polygons including triangular closed loops, hexagonal closed loops, and pentagonal closed loops. As is shown and best demonstrated in Drawing FIG. 2, the closed loop bullet cleaving edges preferably form approximate 90° knife blade edges or chisel blade edges.

Each of the closed loop bullet cleaving edges 6 is necessarily fixedly attached to or formed wholly with the plate's strike face 4, and in the preferred embodiment such attachments comprise a matrix of pedestal structures which are referred to generally by Reference Arrows 8.

Further structural components of the instant inventive armor plate 1 comprise a matrix of second strike faces 10, each second strike face 10 being positioned and supported at a strike face or outer end of one of the pedestals 8. As is best shown in Drawing FIG. 1, each of the second strike faces 10 is peripherally bounded and defined by one of the closed loop bullet cleaving edges 6.

Further structural components of the instant inventive armor plate comprise a matrix of bullet cleaving points 12. Each point among the matrix of bullet cleaving points is fixedly attached to or formed wholly with one of the second strike faces 10, and in the preferred embodiment, such whole formation comprises a matrix of pyramids 14. The pyramids 14 are preferably square pyramids whose bases are fixedly attached to or are formed wholly with the second strike faces 10. Such pyramid bases are preferably positioned upon the second strike faces 10 to form square borders or shoulders about the pyramids 14. The depicted square pyramids 14 are intended as being representative of other geometric solids which may form and support the apexes or points 12 such as triangular pyramids, pentagonal pyramids, hexagonal pyramids, and cones.

In operation of the instant inventive armor plate, referring simultaneously to FIGS. 1 and 2, travel of the bullet 16 along trajectory 18 may cause its nose 20 to initially contact one of the pyramidal apexes or points 12. Such contact is demonstrated by FIG. 3 which shows the apex 12 of pyramid 14 cleaving or fracturing the nose 20 of the bullet 16 into separated spall generating sections 20 s. Such operation of the armor plate 1 upon the bullet 16 converts the bullet's nose 20 into spall generating sections 20 s, advantageously lessening the ability and capacity of the bullet 16 to pass through the underlying plate section 2.

Referring further simultaneously to FIGS. 4 and 5, another bullet 22 traveling along an alternative trajectory 24 may initially contact its nose 26 with one of the angled faces or side walls 28 of one of the pyramids 14. As shown in FIG. 5, such contact of the bullet nose 26 with angled pyramid face 28 may upwardly deflect the bullet nose 26, turning the bullet and causing its nose 26 to secondarily impinge against an adjacent continuous loop bullet cleaving edge 6. Such deflected secondary contact advantageously allows such edge 6 to function similarly with one of the points 12 as a knife edge or chisel point for cleaving the bullet nose 26 into multiple spall generating sections 26 s. Similarly with the spall generating sections 20 s of FIG. 3's bullet 16, spall generating sections 26 s formed at the nose of bullet 22 advantageously minimize or diminish such bullet's capacity and capability for piercing the plate 2.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the instant inventive armor plate, in addition to presenting matrices of pedestals 8, second strike faces 10, pyramids 14, and points 12, presents a grid work of “U” channels 30. As depicted, the “U” channels intersect to form a substantially square grid, each such channel being defined by pluralities of laterally opposing side walls 32 and 34. The laterally outer side walls of the pedestals 8 are one and the same as the “U” channel defining side walls 32 and 34. In a preferred embodiment, such side walls 32 and 34 are narrowly spaced away from each other in order to prevent a bullet nose from impinging against a channel floor without preliminarily impinging against at least one of the bullet cleaving edges 6. Bullets traveling at any trajectory toward the strike face 4 of the inventive armoring plate 1 advantageously impinge against at least one cleaving surface or structure among the points 12 and edges 6.

While the principles of the invention have been made clear in the above illustrative embodiment, those skilled in the art may make modifications to the structure, arrangement, portions and components of the invention without departing from those principles. Accordingly, it is intended that the description and drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in the limiting sense, and that the invention be given a scope commensurate with the appended claims. 

The invention hereby claimed is:
 1. A projectile spall generating armor plate comprising: (a) a rigid plate having a first strike face; (b) a matrix of closed loop bullet cleaving edges, each edge among the matrix of closed loop bullet cleaving edges being fixedly attached to or formed wholly with the first strike face; (c) a matrix of second strike faces, each strike face among the matrix of second strike faces being bounded by one of the closed loop bullet cleaving edges; and (d) a matrix of bullet cleaving points, each point among the matrix of bullet cleaving points being fixedly attached to or formed wholly with one of the second strike faces.
 2. The projectile spall generating armor plate of claim 1 wherein each strike face among the matrix of second strike faces is substantially square.
 3. The projectile spall generating armor plate of claim 2 further comprising a matrix of pedestals, each pedestal among the matrix of pedestals having a plurality of side walls and having a strike face end, wherein each strike face among the matrix of second strike faces comprises one of the pedestals' strike face ends.
 4. The projectile spall generating armor plate of claim 3 further comprising a matrix of pyramids having apexes, each point among the matrix of bullet cleaving points comprising one of the pyramids' apexes.
 5. The projectile spall generating armor plate of claim 4 wherein each pyramid among the matrix of pyramids comprises a square pyramid.
 6. The projectile spall generating armor plate of claim 5 wherein each strike face among the matrix of second strike faces forms a substantially square border around one of the square pyramids.
 7. The projectile spall generating armor plate of claim 6 further comprising a grid of “U” channels, said grid being fixedly attached to or formed wholly with the rigid plate.
 8. The projectile spall generating armor plate of claim 7 wherein each channel among the grid of “U” channels comprises a pair of side walls, each such side wall comprising a plurality of the pedestals' side walls.
 9. The projectile spall generating armor plate of claim 8 wherein the rigid plate is composed of steel. 